Commercial or industrial PoE switch? Which one to choose?

Commercial PoE (Power over Ethernet) switches and industrial PoE (Power over Ethernet) switches are essentially the same. The most significant difference between the two devices is their operating temperature. The basic questions you need to answer when choosing a PoE switch are as follows:

  • Where do you want to use it?

  • Which one should you choose to avoid unnecessary costs?

Commercial PoE switch

Commercial PoE (Power over Ethernet) switches can operate in a temperature range from 0ºC to 50ºC. That's why they are used in normal temperature environments such as schools, offices or universities. These compact PoE switches are available as managed PoE switches (GPoE+/M, GHPoEBT/M, 10GPoE+/M and 10GPoEBT/M) or unmanaged PoE switches (GPoE+/Sx, GHPoEBT/Sx, 10GPoE+/Sx and 10GPoEBT/Sx). The compact PoE switches are equipped with RJ45 ports and are used in critical infrastructure to power small cellular networks, Wi-Fi access points, surveillance cameras and many other network devices. They can also be managed using any standard web browser or SNMP management system. The management system allows monitoring and scheduling of PoE functions, monitoring the operation of powered devices (PDs) and automatic restart of PDs.

Industrial PoE Switch

Industrial PoE (Power over Ethernet) switches can operate in a temperature range of -40ºC to 75ºC. These rugged PoE switches are designed for industrial and outdoor networking applications, powering Wi-Fi access points, small cells, IP surveillance cameras and various industrial and transportation equipment. They are deployed in extremely harsh environments for organizations such as utilities, railroads, industrial manufacturing and various national defense or intelligence agencies such as the Army, Navy and Air Force. These compact managed industrial PoE switches are available as managed and unmanaged models. Managed industrial PoE switches are managed via any standard web browser or SNMP management system. Management facilitates remote monitoring, configuration and scheduling of PoE functions, as well as monitoring of powered devices (PDs) and automatic disaster recovery. These compact switches feature fiber uplink ports and RJ45 user ports.

Conclusions

In terms of cost, the industrial PoE switch has a slightly higher price tag than its commercial version. This is because industrial PoE switches use specialized components designed to withstand extreme temperatures and have a pleated metal housing that provides faster heat dissipation and protects the device from moisture, dust and foreign objects.Now it's time to answer the question we asked ourselves earlier: Where do you want to use your compact PoE switch? The environment will be the main deciding factor. If the answer is a normal environment or one that is temperature-controlled, such as a home, school or office, commercial PoE switches are the best option. However, if you want to use PoE switches in harsher environments and extreme temperatures, the answer is industrial PoE switches.